System running fine (XP Pro, SP3)
Runtime error with new version of Malarebytes.
http://www.malwarebytes.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=19269
Anybody else seeing same?
Forum and moderators seem to be blaming malware!!!
It is most likely some infection - here's why, how to figure it out
and what to do about it.
Malware will sometimes target programs that are designed to find it
and eliminate it. Clever.
Windows examples are things like System Restore (rstrui.exe), regedit,
cmd, Task Manager (taskmgr.exe), Explorer (explorer.exe) and the ever
popular userinit.exe - the one that keeps you from logging in in
Normal or any kind of Safe Mode (same userinit program).
Malware strategy: Prevent this list of things I know about that can
find me and remove me from ever running.
The malware will also target other scanning softwares so either the
installation program itself will not run or once it gets installed in
the first place, the executable will not run.
Pick MBAM for an example. The setup is mbam-setup.exe. You can
download it all you want, but it will not launch if the malware
recognizes it and prevents it from starting the installation.
Once MBAM is installed (or say it was installed in the past), the
exectable is called mbam.exe. Sometimes malware will also recognize
mbam.exe and prevent it from running. The same is true for SAS, AVG,
etc. Some malware knows these names and by virtue of the name of
their installation program or executable alone they will not be
allowed to run.
Various distractive messages will be displayed to fool you into
thinking you have some other problem. Don't let the malware be
smarter than you - at least not more than once.
You can fool the malware by renaming or copying the files you need so
they are not obvious attempts to remove it.
Rename/copy mbam-setup.exe to smirnoff.exe (or something of equal
proof) and run that instead.
Rename/copy mbam.exe to smirnoff.exe and run that instead.
The malicious software will not recognize those names and then your
programs will probably run. The same for things like regedit, rstrui,
taskmgr, cmd - they all used to work just fine, but not anymore! A
copy with a different name will tell you what is really going on.
Renaming/copying is a good test to be sure it is just the name of the
program that is keeping it from running. (userinit is usually a
different story).
